Manage security for a wildlife management area

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This standard outlines the competencies required by individuals who are responsible for managing security for a wildlife management area. It has been developed so that it can be applied to a variety of situations.  
This standard is for those who work in game and wildlife conservation and who are responsible for establishing security systems, supporting others to maintain security and dealing with any security incidents.
For you to fully understand the content of the standard, and the activities it describes, it is important that you are able to understand the terms used within the standard. See the Glossary for some definitions that should help you with this.

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1. determine the potential security risks to the wildlife management area
2. establish and manage security procedures for the wildlife management area that comply with the relevant nation-specific legislation, codes of practice and organisational requirements
3. establish and manage surveillance methods to monitor the wildlife management area
4. establish and manage security procedures that ensure the safe, secure and legal storage of controlled items, including firearms, ammunition and chemicals used for pest control, as well as other hazardous items
5. establish and manage security procedures to manage access to the wildlife management area
6. manage the effective use of resources to maintain the security of the wildlife management area
7. establish relationships with other bodies to monitor and manage the security of the wildlife management area
8. confirm that working methods maintain health and safety and are consistent with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational requirements
9. use relevant methods to communicate security requirements to those who need to know
10. manage security incidents safely and effectively in accordance with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational requirements
11. establish procedures to ensure effective evidence collection and reporting with respect to security incidents
12. maintain records of security incidents in accordance with organisational requirements

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1. how to determine the potential risks to the wildlife management area
2. the relevant legal requirements that control poaching, land tenure and access for a wildlife management area
3. the relevant legal requirements that control the security of firearms, ammunition, chemicals and other hazardous items
4. the importance of maintaining the security of equipment, livestock, working animals and game
5. the periods of the year when game is most vulnerable
6. the actions that can be legally taken to minimise poaching activity and other security incidents
7. the areas at most risk of security incidents in the wildlife management area
8. the national and local regulations relating to rights of way, access and the right to roam
9. the measures that can be used to control access and their advantages and disadvantages
10. the features of the wildlife management area that require special security measures
11. surveillance methods that can be used to monitor a wildlife management area
12. the benefits of working with other bodies to monitor and manage security
13. how to manage security, and those involved in maintaining it, to ensure the effective implementation of procedures
14. why the effective communication of security requirements is important to the management of security for a wildlife management area
15. how to deal with security incidents, safely and without putting yourself or others at risk
16. the importance of courtesy and firmness when dealing with incidents
17. how to deal with aggressive and abusive behaviour
18. the legal powers of authorised persons to deal with poaching and other forms of rural crime
19. the role of the police in supporting security activities
20. the topography of the area including access and vantage points
21. the role of the relevant legislation, national policies, codes of practice, sector guidance and organisational requirements that support the management of security for a wildlife management area
22. the importance of assessing the actions taken when dealing with security incidents
23. the systems in place for recording and reporting evidence of security incidents

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Game: any legal quarry species in the nation in which the shoot takes place. The legal restrictions for shooting “small game” differ in each of the four UK nations and should be checked with the relevant national authority.
Monitor the wildlife management area including:
• buildings
• equipment
• livestock
• working animals
• game
• pests and predators
• access
• trespass
• poaching
• sabotage
• wildlife disturbance
National authority controlling shooting activities:
• England – DEFRA
• Northern Ireland – NI Environment Agency
• Scotland – NatureScot
• Wales – Natural Resources Wales
Other bodies could include: police rural crime teams, local land owners, farmers
Poaching – the unauthorised removal of game from the wild
Sector guidance could include:
• The Code of Good Shooting Practice
• Deer Initiative Best Practice Guides 
• Scottish Wild Deer Best Practice Guides
Surveillance methods could include:
• patrols
• drones
• thermal imagery
• night vision
• CCTV
• trail cameras 
• body cams
• vehicle cams
• ANPR (Automatic numberplate recognition)
Wildlife management area:
any area of land used for the provision of game-shooting activities